YOUR HEADLINERS (A-Z)
BANG GANG DEEJAYS
Born afterhours in the sweaty inner city clubs of Sydney’s once thriving hedonistic 00s, Bang Gang were a law and a brand unto themselves.. With original member AJAX (R.I.P) at the helm, Jaime Doom, Dangerous Dan, Gus da Hoodrat & DJ Damage began playing together under the moniker 'Don't Ask My Neighbours' during 2002. They became more widely known as 'Bang Gang' in 2003, after the success of their weekly club night of the same name - a night which became synonymous with unbridled and unhinged revelry.
They appropriated what was then a run down strip club, 'Moulin Rouge Down Under' in Kings Cross and began hosting 'Bang Gang' every Friday night. D.A.M.N/Bang Gang rode high on the wave of the electroclash resurgence during 2002/03 and pioneered the now ubiquitous 'Mash-Up' style.
Bang Gang's excessive party ethos and mashed aesthetic was an instrumental influence upon several international DJ's, notably Mylo. As such, Sydney in general and Bang Gang specifically were seen by many as the instigators of the Mash Up trend which tore around the world. As the poster boys of the genre, Bang Gang went on to mix Ministry of Sound’s iconic and much-loved “Mashed” CD series, touring the album around the country to high acclaim.
Barbara Tucker (USA)
The legendary queen of the dancefloor, Barbara Tucker is an icon of house music. As a singer, songwriter and choreographer her visual presence established her as an icon of New York's 90s gay/Hi-NRG scene. Her soul/house cut "Beautiful People" and subsequent creative pairing with Little Louie Vega launched her into clubs around the world, going on to global success with releases on leading labels Strictly Rhythm, Positiva Records and Defected Records through the 90s and 00s. To this day, Barbara Tucker continues to thrill audiences with a yearly Ibiza Residency and no sign of slowing down.
Digitalism (GER)
German duo Digitalism blur the lines between indie rock and dance music, alternating between flashy, energetic new wave and brash, glitchy electro-house. Mashing garage band attitude with pumping electro beats, they emerged during the mid-2000s and were regularly featured on compilations released by the stylish French house label Kitsuné Music. Their acclaimed debut album, Idealism, appeared in 2007 with iconic eletronica anthems “Zdarlight” and “Pogo”. The pair went on to remix songs by Daft Punk, Bloc Party, Depeche Mode, and dozens of other acts. In addition to their renowned DJ sets, the duo established a band for performances, featuring modular synthesizers and a live drummer.
After meeting in a record store in 2004 and joining forces as a DJ duo, Jens Moelle and Ismail ‘Isi’ Tuefekci decided to create a dance project that acted as a band and dubbed it Digitalism. The duo blurred the lines between indie rock and dance music, alternating between flashy, energetic new wave and brash, glitchy electro-house. The waves they were creating were soon to be felt outside Hamburg's dance scene and onto a global scale.
Freq Nasty (NZ)
The artist known as FreQ Nasty, or Darin, has always been seen as an originator in Breakbeat, cultivating a unique sound championed by producers and DJs alike. With a sound that can range from dark and ominous, drifting and playful to steeping and funky.
Born in Fiji, raised in New Zealand - Darin's musical upbringing was by his own admission unique. Not so much because his parents were into anything drastically avant garde, but because being that far outside the UK he was afforded the opportunity of growing up without the snobbery that comes with this country's obsession with musical categorisation. You can see this 'across the board' influence throughout his work.
Just as FreQ was starting to be labelled as a leader of Nu-Skool Breaks he flipped the script with the release of 'FreQ-a- Zoid', a blinding piece of robotic disco that convinced even the techno purists that FreQ Nasty was utterly right in his pursuit of machine funk. Part Kraftwerk, part Daft Punk, with a little piece of Jaques Lu Cont's electro cheek dropped in for balance, the cut rocked techno, house and hip hop floors alike. This came as no suprise to anyone that knew that FreQ also released techno records under various guises.
GOODWILL
Another Ministry of Sound original - our much loved Goodwill has been synonymous with the brand in its manuy iterations - from CDs, to production, on the road or more recently taking the stage to guide The Minsitry of Sound Orchestra through its incredible Sydney appearance.. Goodwill spent over a decade at the top of the game and in demand, voted ‘Best DJ’ in NSW in the People's Choice Awards, as well as the go-to support for luminaries such as Axwell, Roger Sanchez and Kaskade.
Listen to any set by the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Carl Cox or Dirty South and you will find a slew of Goodwill Edits, Originals and Remixes. This support saw Goodwill rise to international recognition during his career, including plays on Pete Tong's ‘Radio 1’ show, and remix requests from the likes of Miike Snow, Fedde Le Grand, Janelle Monae, The Presets to name just a few. We can’t wait to head back out on the road with this much loved talent.
GROOVE TERMINATOR
As one of the most long serving, respected and influential DJs in Australia with 28 yrs experience under the (not so serious) moniker - Groove Terminator (Simon Lewicki) started out playing punk, hip-hop and electro on his high school public radio show in the early 80’s as a teenager then fell instantly in love with the early acid and house sounds coming out in the late 80’s.
Through the 90s he released 2 full length artist albums which included the hit singles “Here Comes Another One” and “One More Time (The Sunshine Song)” - picking up several ARIA nominations including Best Male Artist along the way and a European VMA nomination for his cover of Pils’ seminal “Not a Love Song”. Other awards include Best Producer at the inaugural Australian Dance Music Awards even a GQ “Man Of The Year” nod snuck in there. Through the 00s GT doubled up with now-PNAU member Sam Littlemore to form the afterdark electronic duo Tonite Only who spawned a slew of certified 00s bangers including Where The Party’s At, The Bomb and We Run The Night. More recently Simon has been an intrinsic part of the Ministry of Sound Classical event series, as a key player both behind the scenes and on the stage.
Inner City (USA)
The story of Inner City is intractably linked with its founder Kevin Saunderson, and cemented in club folklore as one of the first pioneers of Detroit Techno alongside schoolmate Derrek May. Founded by Saunderson and singer Paris Grey, Inner City became one of dance-pop's most successful acts, topping the U.S. dance chart five times, hitting Britain's Top 40 nine times, and selling over six million records. Best known for their early dancefloor-pop music crossover tracks "Big Fun" and "Good Life" - Inner City are one of the most longstanding icons of electronic music who not only witnessed - but created modern house music.
John Course
There’s no one DJ whose name is synonymous with Ministry of Sound than Coursey. A national living treasure and the ultimate DJ’s DJ – John has remained as relevant, present and talented today as ever across a career spanning 20+ years. Having been part of house music since its emergence in Australia, John first came to prominence by winning the Victorian leg of the DMC turntableist competition…A feat he repeated two years in a row!!! Moving from those turntable roots, he embraced house music from the start, was listed in DJ Mag’s first ever Top 100 DJ’s list in 1993 and went on to start a successful label and produce original music…
One of the founders of Vicious Recordings (Est. 1992), John is the GM of the label collective that first signed artists such as Madison Avenue, Rogue Traders, Peking Duk, Dirty South, Sgt Slick, a bunch of Avicii’s first ever recordings and many more tracks from DJ’s and producers from all over the world. Over 500 releases deep, Vicious continues to put out a stack of music, both on its original Vicious label, as well as imprints BeRich & Vicious Black. On a DJ front, there are over one million compilation sales that include a John Course mix CD in Australian music collections across Ministry of Sound, One Love and Vicious.
MARK DYNAMIX
Mark Dynamix (real name Mark Vick) is one of the most passionate and genuine people in Australia's music industry. Once coined "the hardest working DJ in the country" by 3D World magazine; he’s been across it all - from DJ to producer, record label owner to event promoter and every other capacity in between. Since he was a mere 14 years old broadcasting dance music from a radio station in Sydney, he’s been in the game for the love of electronic music, the technology, the teamwork and the social cohesiveness dance music creates. Mark has been an intrinsic part of the Ministry of Sound Australia family through his multiple appearances mixing The Annual series in the early 2000s.
MINX
The darling of Australia’s club scene ‘Minx’ (Rachel Phillips) is equal parts great vibes and pure talent. Whether behind the decks or in her own productions, Minx brings an unmatched energy to the stage. Her footprint on home soil is just as strong as it is globally, headlining premium nightclubs such as Pacha, Goodbar, Electric Circus, Onesixone, Pawn & Co, Laruche and Family. The Australian festival circuit has been a mainstay for Minx over her career, having graced the stage at Stereosonic Festival, V Fest, Parklife, Good Vibes, Reminisce and Future Music festivals. A keen contributor to the local dance music scene, Minx shared her more underground music tastes as 'Rachel May’ on Bondi Radio as well as on dance floors across the country.
Phil Hartnoll (UK)
Phil Hartnoll is one half of iconic UK electronic-acid-house-meets-trance duo Orbital. Though they might not have envisioned it when they recorded debut single Chime inside a cupboard at their parents’ house for less than a fiver in 1991, Orbital went on to become giants of electronic music.
Alongside his brother Paul, Orbital redefined what dance music could do and the place it took within popular culture itself. Their music has influenced and inspired artists from Björk to Bicep and the brothers have collaborated with minds as diverse as Madonna and Kraftwerk. Transcending dancefloors, Orbital’s music not only soundtracked late night raves but became equally synonymous with the ‘back to mine’ emotive sounds of the then newly defined genre of Chillout through the 90s and into 2000s.
They completely reinvented the notion of what a “dance” act could do live and turned multitudes of rock fans on to the limitless pleasures of electronic music. It’s not for nothing that the band’s colossal set at Glastonbury Festival in 1994 is regularly cited as one of the greatest gigs of all time.
SKOOL OF THOUGHT (UK)
Skool of Thought is well known as one of the most in demand breaks and drum and bass talents of the early 00s originally from UK and now based in Australia. His classic album ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ with Ed Solo, as well as his critically acclaimed remixes of Pendulum and Groove Armada cemented his status as one of the country’s most adept production talents. As the co-founder of SuperCharged and Against the Grain Records, he has also played a vital role in nurturing the careers of Freestylers and Krafty Kuts, and has earned an ARIA gold accreditation for his work. While his label is known for the biggest selling breaks anthem of all time (Freestylers ‘Push Up’), Skool of Thought himself is a future focussed multi-genre bass artist. This is evident throughout Against The Grain’s 2022 release schedule which saw his label smashing the Beatport charts with tracks spanning breaks, bass house, UKG, and drum and bass genres.
Stanton Warriors (UK)
In 2001 by way of a mix CD “The Stanton Sessions” - The Stanton Warriors burst onto the global stage, garnering a reputation as the face of the exploding breakbeat scene. Honing a trademark sound that is at once all their own, but also utterly indefinable, the Stanton Warriors’ irresistible and inimitable sound has consistently remained the soundtrack to some of the world’s biggest and best parties over the past 15 years; from East London warehouses, Miami boat parties and illegal Detroit raves, to the stages of Sydney’s Field Day, Coachella, Glastonbury, Burning Man and Ultra, selling out global tours and topping DJ lists along the way.
In the studio, Bristol’s Mark Yardley and Dominic Butler have honed a trademark, un-categorisable sound that is at once all their own, but also utterly indefinable, leading to high-profile releases on XL Records, Fabric, Cheap Thrills, Central Station and Universal, alongside official remixes for everyone from Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim, to MIA and Gorillaz. This phenomenal output and remarkable longevity has ensured the Stanton Warriors legendary status amongst not only their fans, but also their peers, as they remain fresh, original and relevant; obstinately dancing to beat of their own drum and helping to pave the way for new talent.
Tall Paul (UK)
Tall Paul is one of the stalwarts of the UK music scene, rocking dance floors across the globe for nearly 30 years. With an early start as a teenager behind the decks at the legendary Turnmills nightclub, through his various residencies Tall Paul became intrinsically linked with the growing popularity of house music, embedding himself into the scene through his renowned affiliation with UK’s pirate radio circuit.
As his talent and popularity grew, Paul quickly found himself in demand across the UK playing at all the most iconic clubs around the country - Cream, Gatecrasher, Gods Kitchen, The Gallery and of course, Ministry of Sound. It was at the turn of the century when Tall Paul assumed mixing duties for one of MInistry of Sound’s most renowned compilation mixes of all time, The Annual 2000 (a CD whose tracklist reads like a start-to-finish slew of club classics). His production of “Precious Heart” which soon followed cemented his name as part of this never to be forgotten era of clubbing.
The Bloody Beetroots (IT)
